Years ago
by Astraph
Summary: Season 3 gave us a hint that House and Cuddy had a past together,this story is Cuddy's view of those days House was referring to parting from a little conversation they had on the Top Secret episode
1. Chapter 1 Knowledge

Years ago

Chapter 1-Knowledge

"You gave me everything I asked for because one night I gave you everything you…" I had to make him stop. Knowing him, I don't think he would had had any trouble finishing his sentence, although at times I think both him and I have buried certain things in the past, if not, we are succeeding on our act. This is our life now, back then even when not many things were different, I believe he used to make it a bit less difficult for me to figure him out, although there's no figuring House out.

So I interrupted him. Acting careless regarding his comment I said: "stop staring at my ass when you think I'm not looking, showing up at restaurants where I happen to be on a date and fantasizing about me in the shower. That ship sailed long time ago House. Get over it." Not that any of the above had ever bothered me, even then I knew what he wanted. He would never hide it, not even from Stacy, which made it awkward at times.

After that, I just turned my back on him and waited for the next joke, the classical come back that didn't take long to hit my ears. As I walked away from him, I had a smile on my lips; his remark on our past, that night that we both locked deep in our memory, had pushed the play button for that chapter of my life.

He was nothing less than extraordinary, yet he wasn't a person you would trust with much; he would use your schedule to mislead you on your professors' teaching methods, your dorm extension to wake you up in the middle of the night, and your roommates to sleep with them and then make them hate you for it. However, he was and still is the only doctor in this world to whom you would trust your life. Because of that, I always had my doubts, I still do. In any way, whatever he did annoying or not he was admirable.

This man had managed to get half the teaching staff against him and yet to be respect by them, he wasn't charming and still most med students wanted to get in his pants. His ego could barely fit inside the walls of UM and probably that was what made his sexist remarks about me so interesting that I actually enjoyed them and didn't mind if they were public, I was always ready with the perfect comeback believing it would make him respect me more, the same that I thought when I took this job.

Eventually, the jokes began to fade, never completely disappeared but the meaning behind them did for five years. At the beginning I didn't understand, however I could imagine why. It wasn't easy and it used to drive me crazy, but seeing how much he loved Stacy gave me comfort as irrational as it sounds. For me it was the knowledge of him being able to actually love another human being , what was valuable.

Stacy was made for him. She wouldn't take any of his shit, always would let him know what was on her mind, strong but flexible when necessary… In a way I hated that. I was her in that aspect and he wouldn't see it. It must had been weird for her having me around him, since she knew what had happened between us, but she was strong and even let me know that she knew about it, and because of that I always had a high regard for her. The way she is, so honest , is weird for a lawyer, being this a quality that most of them lack of.

The few times we have gotten to see each other and House is in the room, I still get the feeling from that day when we bumped into each other at the university. There she was, patiently waiting for him to come out of class so they could have lunch together and as I passed by waving hello she said to me: "he admires you, and that's a lot coming from him. I think you should know that." After that day somehow I started to see her as a friend, it was funny to see how awkward that was for him at times, including that day. When he was walking toward us and saw that it was me who she was talking and sharing their meal with, his face changed. Immediately he turned to his jokes saying "Stacy… you know you are not supposed to feed them, they will always come back for more". She smiled and rolled her eyes at him and I stood up and left it wasn't the comment that made me leave but the fact that I really didn't want to be there and see what the rest of the day would be like for them. Besides, there was no point in torturing myself if I was about to graduate and I was sure I might never had to see him again. If only I had known…


	2. Chapter 2 Coffee

Chapter 2-Coffee

As I sat down behind my expensive desk, which was totally worth it, all the paper work I was supposed to do along with reviewing some of the nurses' complaints didn't seem as interesting as the trip down memory lane that I had started earlier. It's not often that I allow myself to concentrate on those things as I was doing now, so why stop it?. Besides, the case was already solved and generally that's when I can stop worrying about House doing something crazy to my hospital.

There were so many things to remember that I didn't know where to begin. I would have to trigger my own memories by looking at some object, hearing something or with some smell but let's be honest, I wasn't going to leave my office to find a nice odor in a hospital or to turn on some music and then being judged if someone came in, so I just decided to take a look around, without any result.

Just when I had given up, I decided that before starting the paper work I should clean a bit the mess I had left on the desk after having breakfast there that morning, there wasn't much to clean but I know I wouldn't feel comfortable having things that don't belong there so I put aside the coffee cup and tossed it in the bin. There was something in the way the coffee cup was placed within that garbage that made me remember something.

I had graduated already, it was the last day to clear the dorms and everything had to be out by twelve the next day. I had been so busy that I had put off that task for a few days and then I was regretting it. There were boxes all over the place, my clothes were laying on the floor and I was thankful that my roommate had quit med school so that no one could see the horror of that room.

While packing my stuff I heard a knock on the door, I decided not to open but the knock kept getting stronger and more annoying so I decided to unlock the door and let him in. I knew who it was anyway, there wasn't anyone else who would knock like that at two in the morning.

"What do you want House?"

"Leaving so soon?"

"What are you talking about, everyone must return their rooms by mmm…" I looked at my watch and continued "twelve!… Today!. But how could you possibly now that if you don't even live here. You live in your own apartment with Stacy. Which leads me back to the first question. What do you want House?"

"Gee, someone is definitely in a mood. Can't a friend come by to help?"

"You never help…"

"Oh well, you know some days I just wake up and see the rainbow and the flowers…"

"Fine!" There was no way to beat him at a discussion and I hated to admit it but I actually needed help, I was really tired and I knew whatever it was that he needed it would come up eventually so I might as well take advantage of his presence for a while, but when I turned around and took a look of where he was heading to, I had to make a warning: "House! Stay away from my underwear".

He helped me with the boxes, the tape, pretty much everything. It was a sad night for me in a way since I was leaving the place that had been my home for a while, and as it was getting emptied I was feeling closer to cry.

"So these are the things you are leaving here right?" he pointed at some boxes and stuff that were on a corner of the room that we had separated since I wasn't taking them with me to the house I was moving to. "Is your whip somewhere in there? Cuz I might find a use for that…" he said, I guess he was trying to make me smile before the situation turned awkward with my emotions sinking the room. When I looked at the stuff, I lost myself looking at my desk. "oh, is it inside there?" he said, again trying to be funny… or just to be himself. But when I realized he had noticed how lost I was looking at the desk I decided to clarify why I was so attached to it before he came to any conclusions related to that one night.

"It is unbelievable you know, if all my work through med school were in doubt, the only witness that I would had would be that desk, I've spent there nights and days, thousand hours of study, research and papers…I wish I didn't have to leave it here".

"Is that the only reason?", he playfully wiggled his eyebrows after saying that.

"Yes, what other would it be?" even though I knew exactly where he was going, I decided to just let it go. He did as well and for the next hours we just focused on getting everything ready. For the rest of the night, or day I wouldn't really know what to call it, I kept expecting for him to ask me for some favor or for him to tell me the reason of why he was at my dorm that night, that never came.

There was a time when I really didn't notice that I had felt asleep, I just remember waking up sitting on the floor with my back resting on the bed's edge. There was daylight already and apparently I was completely alone in the room. "Lisa" I heard a voice coming from the door's threshold. "your door was open, is everything all right?" Mike, a guy whom I had dated before, was standing there worried about me leaving the door open, although I knew It hadn't been me. I walked towards the door to say everything was fine and chat a little, after all, he was a really nice guy, not to mention hot … very hot. But I was still confused as to where the hell was House and while I was talking to Mike I thought I had seen him walk past us in the background.

Not listening to what Mike was saying anymore, I moved him a little to the side and walked out to the hall, I excused myself to mike and just walked away, as I turned at the corner I saw House standing next to the trash can throwing something, he seemed a bit pissed, fact that was confirmed by the way he closed the apartment door. If only I hadn't been on the damn first floor, I might had caught him before he had left. Curious as to what he had thrown away I took a look inside the trashcan, hot coffee and donuts where on the top. He had left to bring breakfast.

I knew he wouldn't come back, either way I wasn't exactly sure why he was pissed, he didn't even have a reason. I was the one who had to live with the fact he was in love with someone else, so why on earth did he have the right to be upset?. It was close to twelve, so I started taking out the stuff to my car, the room was empty except for three boxes and the desk, I left the door open and let everyone know they could take anything from there. Then I just simply left.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: First, thanks a lot for reading this, comments are appreciated. I have read as much as I can related to the show and I've watched every episode because I just love it, however not many details from back then are known and the timeline is a bit difficult to figure out, so pardon me if make a mistake regarding chronologic stuff.  
The desk that I'm referring to is related to the one in season 5, episode Let them eat cake, in my mind, that day he went back to get the desk, of course this story is being narrated by Cuddy, so she had no idea and by the time in which she's remembering (season 3) she still had the desk she had bought not the one she had on med school which she recovers when someone (House) leaves it on her office in Let them eat cake. Please stay alert for more chapters.


End file.
